EU official calls on int'l help for Tunisia's refugee crisis

TUNIS, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The vice president of the European Union parliament Roberta Angelili called on the international community to help Tunisia cope with the refugee crisis, the country's official press agency TAP reported Sunday.

The EU official voiced Europe's support for the efforts of the Tunisian government and people to help the refugees that have entered the country since the outbreak of the violence in Libya.

Angelili who paid a visit on Saturday to the border cross point of Ras El Jedir on the Tunisian-Libyan border said that her visit aims at "following up on the situation and at identifying the actions to be taken by the European community, in the face of complication of the situation in Libya and its consequences on Tunisia."

The European Union has spent some 30 million euros to help the North African country cope with the influx of refugees pouring through its southern border. Since the outbreak of the violence, some 275,000 refugees have crossed the Libyan border into Tunisia, most of whom have been evacuated to their home countries, however, thousands of African refugees are still living in the camps in southern Tunisia.

Sphere: Related Content